AND SAUCE
food I chill and grill
M y
K in d
o f
( G r illin g )
T o w n
B a r b e c u e e x p e r t E l i z a b e t h K a r m e l
e x p l a i n s w h y t h e S e c o n d C i t y i s f i r s t i n
BY ELIZABETH KARMEL I
FOOD PHOTO ANDY LYONS
M y q u e s t f o r t h e p e r f e c t s t e a k
began, and ended, in Chicago. As a child, my favorite
trips were here, to my father's hometown, where he
would take me to dinner at Gene 8c Georgetti, one
of the country's great steakhouses. It was a family
tradition; he'd gone there with his father, too.
These steaks were not like the ones we had back in
North Carolina—these were big, thick, rich, charred
cuts of hot, pink beef. Not only that, they were served
with an array of steak sauces and condiments.
When I grew up, I moved to Chicago and
discovered that grilling is the unofficial pastime
here. Walk the streets of any neighborhood and
you’ll smell the great food cooking in backyards
and on balconies. Not just steaks, either;
Chicagoans are experts at grilling everything
from chicken to zucchini.
Inspired by those childhood memories, I've
spent 20 years working on the secret to making
the perfect steak. And guess what? It's not very
different from how they serve them at Gene 8c
Georgetti. The three essentials are a great rub, a
delicious sauce, and a steak 1
V
2
inches thick—it's
the only way to get a great sear on the outside and
keep it medium-rare. I prefer a New York strip;
before grilling it gets my Steakhouse Rub, then
1 serve it with my Chicago Steakhouse Sauce:
C h ic a g o S te a k h o u s e S a u ce
In a large heavy-bottom saucepan over
medium heat stir together
2
tablespoons
o l i v e
o i l ,
V
2
cup chopped
o n i o n ,
and
1
tablespoon
b r o w n s u g a r .
Stir in a tablespoon each
of
s w e e t s m o k e d S p a n i s h p a p r i k a
,
s w e e t
H u n g a r i a n p a p r i k a
, and
d r y m u s t a r d .
When
onions are soft and spices are fragrant, stir in
2
tablespoons
W
o r c e s t e r s h i r e s a u c e ,
1
cup each of
c o l a
and
S p i c y H o t V
8
j u i c e ,
3A
cup of
k e t c h u p , lA
cup of
b o u r b o n ,
Vi cup
r i c e v i n e g a r ,
and
1
tablespoon
r e d u c e d - s o d i u m
s o y s a u c e .
Bring
to boiling; reduce heat to
medium-low and simmer
1 5
minutes or until
thick. Makes about
3
V
2
cups sauce.
t e a k
C h ic a g o S te a k h o u s e R u b
Stir together a tablespoon of
d r y
m u s t a r d ,
2
teaspoons each of
g r a n u l a t e d g a r l i c
and
c o a r s e l y
g r o u n d b l a c k p e p p e r ,
a teaspoon of
s w e e t s m o k e d S p a i r i s h p a p r i k a ,
and
a half teaspoon each of
d r i e d t h y m e
and
c a y e n n e p e p p e r .
To use, cover
both sides of steak generously with
rub; allow to stand
3 0
minutes at
room tem perature before grilling.
E
n
t e
r
O
u
r
G
r i l l i n
g
S
h
o
w
d
o
w
n
C
o
n
t e
s t !
Your grilling video and recipe could win you $5,000
and a Weber Summit® S-670™ gas grill in the
Better Homes and Gardens
Grilling Showdown at
our Chill and Grill Festival in Chicago May 21-22.
Find entry details on page 158. To enter, go to
bhgchillandgrill.com/gscontest. Two finalists will
be paired with celebrity chefs for a grill-off on the
main stage at the event. The winner will also be
mentioned in
Better Homes and Gardens
magazine
and featured on BetterTV.
Come meet Elizabeth Karmel and other
celebrity judges for the showdown at our two-
day festival of food, family fun, and music in
Chicago’s Lincoln Park. The event features
demonstrations by celebrity
chefs and
Better Homes and
Gardens
editors, tastings
from local restaurants, and
live music. Look for more
information in upcoming
issues of the magazine and at
bhgchillandgrill.com.
" ï f e
D l l
Chill
Grill
CD
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